Great Falls’ pedlet program will be getting some national attention at next year’s Main Street Now Conference in Seattle.

The annual conference is hosted by The National Main Street Center, a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and next year’s is co-hosted by the Washington State Main Street Program.

Joan Redeen of the Business Improvement District and Kellie Pierce of the Downtown Great Falls Association will present at the conference in March.
BID accepting bids on pedlets for Celtic Cowboy and Burger Bunker

Great Falls was the second city in the country to implement pedlets downtown. The pedlets are extensions of the sidewalk around sidewalk dining into parking spaces to allow businesses to provide fenced outdoor seating.

Mighty Mo was the first downtown eatery to add a pedlet and the owners said they saw a 20 percent increase in sales that summer.
“Suspendlet” coming to second story of Strain Building; two more pedlets planned downtown

Since then, Enbar, The Celtic Cowboy and Burger Bunker have added pedlets through the BID. A ‘suspendlet’ is going into the Strain Building at the corner of Central and 4th Street on the second floor where several new, yet to be named, establishments will be opening.

The pedlet program was one of the successes highlighted at the Downtown Development Partnership’s annual meeting last week.